In all the years I've been doing play-by-post RP, I don't currently recall having ever seen any discussion about how much time folks typically spend writing a post or if they read prior posts over again before/while they work on their reply. I'm aware that I tend to be a little slow at processing and working on things, but sometimes I have to wonder if I might be further outside the norm than I've realized. This doesn't only apply to RP for me, but RP does provide a solid point of focus. So, for those willing to respond...
Do you re-read prior posts before/while writing your own?
For me, unless I have a response immediately in mind and time to work on it right then, I always reread at least the last thing my partner(s) posted before and/or while writing up my response. (Even when I do get to it immediately, I still tend to check back while writing to make sure I'm not forgetting things.) Sometimes I'll skim back an extra post or two (including my own prior posts) just to make sure I'm still following along properly, and I'll go back further occasionally if necessary. I know I can forget things pretty easily sometimes, and checking back (often repeatedly) helps me to feel like I can do a better job of actually responding, rather than just kinda, iunno, co-existing or something. I've come to kind of see this along the lines of being basic respect to try to better engage with my partners, but I'm suddenly wondering if this is actually... unusual. I'm sure it may not be so important for folks with better memories, but I know I'm far from being the only person here with a crappy memory.
I also tend to skim back through my response as I write it. I'll still make mistakes, of course, but it helps things flow along a little more fluidly.
About how long do you typically spend writing your response (and to have a reference, about how long are those posts)?
Like I said, I'm slow at basically everything. I expect most people to be able to reply faster than me (not in terms of how long you take to get to it, just specifically the writing part). I've also come across some folks who will write their responses over the course of multiple sessions, rather than all at once, so I imagine that can get tricky to measure. By your estimation, though, about how long do you think it usually takes you to write a post of about what length?
Once in awhile, I'm able to get out a post that's like a standard paragraph or two in maybe 20 minutes or so, but for me, that's really fast. My posts typically range from about 1-5 fairly standard-sized paragraphs, I think usually falling in around 2-4-ish...? Like, this post looks like about the length of my longer-average RP posts. (I sometimes get some pretty long ones, especially if my partner tends to write longer posts, but I'm trying to go by a comfortable standard after setup is reasonably squared away.) And the time I spend on those posts is rarely under a half hour, usually seems to take about 1-2 hours, and sometimes even goes up to 4 hours (rarely longer than that without severe interruptions). Yes, the really long times do tend to involve some distractions along the way, but that's still the time I'll be sitting there working primarily on my response. That's... not too crazy and out there, is it?
Do you re-read prior posts before/while writing your own?
For me, unless I have a response immediately in mind and time to work on it right then, I always reread at least the last thing my partner(s) posted before and/or while writing up my response. (Even when I do get to it immediately, I still tend to check back while writing to make sure I'm not forgetting things.) Sometimes I'll skim back an extra post or two (including my own prior posts) just to make sure I'm still following along properly, and I'll go back further occasionally if necessary. I know I can forget things pretty easily sometimes, and checking back (often repeatedly) helps me to feel like I can do a better job of actually responding, rather than just kinda, iunno, co-existing or something. I've come to kind of see this along the lines of being basic respect to try to better engage with my partners, but I'm suddenly wondering if this is actually... unusual. I'm sure it may not be so important for folks with better memories, but I know I'm far from being the only person here with a crappy memory.
I also tend to skim back through my response as I write it. I'll still make mistakes, of course, but it helps things flow along a little more fluidly.
About how long do you typically spend writing your response (and to have a reference, about how long are those posts)?
Like I said, I'm slow at basically everything. I expect most people to be able to reply faster than me (not in terms of how long you take to get to it, just specifically the writing part). I've also come across some folks who will write their responses over the course of multiple sessions, rather than all at once, so I imagine that can get tricky to measure. By your estimation, though, about how long do you think it usually takes you to write a post of about what length?
Once in awhile, I'm able to get out a post that's like a standard paragraph or two in maybe 20 minutes or so, but for me, that's really fast. My posts typically range from about 1-5 fairly standard-sized paragraphs, I think usually falling in around 2-4-ish...? Like, this post looks like about the length of my longer-average RP posts. (I sometimes get some pretty long ones, especially if my partner tends to write longer posts, but I'm trying to go by a comfortable standard after setup is reasonably squared away.) And the time I spend on those posts is rarely under a half hour, usually seems to take about 1-2 hours, and sometimes even goes up to 4 hours (rarely longer than that without severe interruptions). Yes, the really long times do tend to involve some distractions along the way, but that's still the time I'll be sitting there working primarily on my response. That's... not too crazy and out there, is it?
I think I do same as you. I think my average post is maybe 3 paragraphs, or around the length of the start of your post to the "...takes you to write a post of about what length?". It used to take me 20 - 30 minutes back in the days, but after I took a break from RP'ing, it has gotten up to an hour. I honestly think it takes too long, I would love to be quicker at it, but I think a lot of factors are in play.
If I am playing a new character, or a character I haven't played in a long while, I re-read both the latest post from my RP-partner and my own previous posts a lot, to get the psychology and the mannerisms of the character under my skin. Like, say a character has said something slighty insulting to my character. Then I'll go back a look at what I wrote the last time that character said something insulting to mine. I looove attention to smaller details, but it can be quite hard to remember all the tiny things. For me, it's a great way to give my character a lot of smaller mannerisms and opinions on specific things, that gives the character more depth to it. But it is very time-consuming, until I know the character so well, that I don't have to re-read to remember.
Same goes with a RP that is new, then I do the same, just to my RP-partners posts. Like you wrote, it is a way of engaging. I gives my RP-partner more room to fold out their character, if I include the smaller details or hints of past-history or whatever, that an RP-partner might scatter out here and there throughout the RP. If something interesting is mentioned, but there isn't really space in the narrative to explore it immediately, I will try to remember it, so that my character might bring it up later. But again, this requires a lot of re-reading.
If I am playing a new character, or a character I haven't played in a long while, I re-read both the latest post from my RP-partner and my own previous posts a lot, to get the psychology and the mannerisms of the character under my skin. Like, say a character has said something slighty insulting to my character. Then I'll go back a look at what I wrote the last time that character said something insulting to mine. I looove attention to smaller details, but it can be quite hard to remember all the tiny things. For me, it's a great way to give my character a lot of smaller mannerisms and opinions on specific things, that gives the character more depth to it. But it is very time-consuming, until I know the character so well, that I don't have to re-read to remember.
Same goes with a RP that is new, then I do the same, just to my RP-partners posts. Like you wrote, it is a way of engaging. I gives my RP-partner more room to fold out their character, if I include the smaller details or hints of past-history or whatever, that an RP-partner might scatter out here and there throughout the RP. If something interesting is mentioned, but there isn't really space in the narrative to explore it immediately, I will try to remember it, so that my character might bring it up later. But again, this requires a lot of re-reading.
Zelphyr wrote:
Do you re-read prior posts before/while writing your own?
Zelphyr wrote:
About how long do you typically spend writing your response (and to have a reference, about how long are those posts)?
Another aspect is whether I'm replying on my laptop at home or on my phone at work during break. If I read a reply while at work, I will sometimes manage to tap out a response in a short time. The post is shorter, but still in the 1-3 paragraphs range. If I can't finish it, I save it to Notes and look at it later when I get home. Sometimes it's usable. Sometimes it's discarded.
It depends on the rp and how natural the posts feel and how long into the rp we are or how long I've been writing the character. So, sometimes I read my partner's post and write one out immediately. If it's been a while since my last post, I have to look for small facts in my previous post and if I'm really struggling, I read 3 or 4 series of posts up. I like to make sure I didn't like...have my character finish eating two posts ago and suddenly do it again because the food wasn't mentioned and I forgot! DX Or like, if their emotions are escalating or deescalating over the course of this page. There are a lot of things I want to make sure of for the sake of continuity.
As for how long it takes to post? Even if it's 6 paragraphs, if I don't get interrupted, it can take only a matter of minutes and then maybe a few more for a reread. However, I spend two to three times as long reading my partner's post. If it takes me 10 minutes to write 6 para and my partner wrote a similar amount, the whole reading and formulating process will probably take 30+ minutes.
And the procrastination also goes up on an exponential factor per paragraph~
As for how long it takes to post? Even if it's 6 paragraphs, if I don't get interrupted, it can take only a matter of minutes and then maybe a few more for a reread. However, I spend two to three times as long reading my partner's post. If it takes me 10 minutes to write 6 para and my partner wrote a similar amount, the whole reading and formulating process will probably take 30+ minutes.
And the procrastination also goes up on an exponential factor per paragraph~
I moved all my RPing to Discord and other live chats solely because of how long it takes me to reply on PBP. I actually burned out on every PBP I was doing because scenes would take days, if not weeks, to complete when everyone can only post once a day, myself included. Replying once to a multi-para post, with the same time and consideration the other poster has put in, making sure I account for all of their actions, takes hours from my day, and that's just reading new posts. I only ever re-read old posts when I've forgotten my place or need to cite something, but otherwise, I don't really have the time.
That's just me though, and I prize being able to get through an entire scene in a day over whether or not it's well-written. Some of my replies are a sentence. Some of my partners have grammar so bad that Google isn't sure which language to detect. So long as it's legible on a skim-read and I understand what they meant without having to parse it too much, it's good enough for me. I might be in the minority though.
That's just me though, and I prize being able to get through an entire scene in a day over whether or not it's well-written. Some of my replies are a sentence. Some of my partners have grammar so bad that Google isn't sure which language to detect. So long as it's legible on a skim-read and I understand what they meant without having to parse it too much, it's good enough for me. I might be in the minority though.
Aardbei wrote:
I moved all my RPing to Discord and other live chats solely because of how long it takes me to reply on PBP. I actually burned out on every PBP I was doing because scenes would take days, if not weeks, to complete when everyone can only post once a day, myself included. Replying once to a multi-para post, with the same time and consideration the other poster has put in, making sure I account for all of their actions, takes hours from my day, and that's just reading new posts. I only ever re-read old posts when I've forgotten my place or need to cite something, but otherwise, I don't really have the time.
That's just me though, and I prize being able to get through an entire scene in a day over whether or not it's well-written. Some of my replies are a sentence. Some of my partners have grammar so bad that Google isn't sure which language to detect. So long as it's legible on a skim-read and I understand what they meant without having to parse it too much, it's good enough for me. I might be in the minority though.
That's just me though, and I prize being able to get through an entire scene in a day over whether or not it's well-written. Some of my replies are a sentence. Some of my partners have grammar so bad that Google isn't sure which language to detect. So long as it's legible on a skim-read and I understand what they meant without having to parse it too much, it's good enough for me. I might be in the minority though.
It's not just you, my friend. I don't spend a lot of time re-reading myself. I do my best work when I read once and answer immediately. Lately I've lacked the focus needed to catch up on all my stuff, but that's about the manner I do it.
whenever i get a notification that i’ve received a reply and i have time to read it, i do it as soon as i can. if i don’t have time to respond then and there, i save it for later. while i write a reply, i usually re-read what my writing partner has sent so i make sure not to miss any details. if it’s been a while since i sent my previous post, i’ll usually read through a handful of posts just to make sure c:
i think most of my posts are at least 3 paragraphs and i spend 10 - 15 minutes on those. starters take me even longer because i have to describe the setting, the mood and so on
i think most of my posts are at least 3 paragraphs and i spend 10 - 15 minutes on those. starters take me even longer because i have to describe the setting, the mood and so on
I can spend anywhere from 5 minutes to half an hour or longer working on my posts, depending on various factors like length and how inspired I am by the scene. I like to post 2 or 3 paragraphs.
When writing a post, I will constantly reference the posts prior. I reach a point where I think "okay, my partner referenced this or used wordplay similar to this," then I pop back and check it. This may also involve searching way back in a scene to check details. Did this room have a door? What time of day is it? Did we establish if my character is to the left or to the right? I'll do this a few times until the post has a solid base and I've addressed everything that needs addressing. Then I massage the structure so it feels most natural, make some bits briefer and others longer, do a final spellcheck/proofread and--done!
When writing a post, I will constantly reference the posts prior. I reach a point where I think "okay, my partner referenced this or used wordplay similar to this," then I pop back and check it. This may also involve searching way back in a scene to check details. Did this room have a door? What time of day is it? Did we establish if my character is to the left or to the right? I'll do this a few times until the post has a solid base and I've addressed everything that needs addressing. Then I massage the structure so it feels most natural, make some bits briefer and others longer, do a final spellcheck/proofread and--done!
Zelphyr wrote:
Do you re-read prior posts before/while writing your own?
Absolutely! In fact, I usually have the last post from my partner up on the screen and type up my reply in a shrunken notepad window so I can see both at the same time. I do this because I have a tendency to forget to respond to less important bits of the last post if I don't have it up in front of me at the time. Then again, this is also probably because posts tend to be relatively long in most of my stories/with my chosen partners and there's a lot to do and say. Once I'm done typing up my post, I paste it into the box on RPR. Been working this way for many years now.
Zelphyr wrote:
About how long do you typically spend writing your response (and to have a reference, about how long are those posts)?
That one is much harder to answer. Sometimes less than twenty minutes. Sometimes a day or two. Sometimes more. Real life intervenes much of the time, breaking up the writing into several little sessions. If I have no external distractions, I can sometimes write up a thousand words or so in an hour--maybe an hour and a half. I type relatively quickly and when the muses are active, I don't really have to think about it much. The posts sort of... write themselves.
That said, there are days where the muse won't cooperate or I have to pick it up and put it down ten or twenty times before I can get it completed. Sometimes the muse disappears for a LONG time. Days. Weeks. Months, even. I'm just coming out of a months-long funk now and the drive to write something--anything--has sort of railroaded its way into my free time.
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